Don’t blink now—because the NFL Draft tea just got spicier than hot chicken on Bourbon Street. Word on the street? Shedeur Sanders might be New Orleans-bound. Yeah, you heard that right. Deion’s boy could be suiting up in black and gold, ready to inject some much-needed life into a Saints squad that’s been stuck in neutral for, well, forever. And this isn’t some fan-made Madden scenario—we’re talking real intel, hot off the mic from ESPN’s Pete Thamel. But we’ll get to that.

First, let’s rewind just a bit. Penn State finally made that long-awaited College Football Playoff semifinal—only to choke when it mattered most. Drew Allar flopped harder than a Netflix reboot. Against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, Allar went 12-for-23, couldn’t find a single wideout, and threw a soul-snatching pick with under a minute to play.

That throw? That pick? It was more than a loss—it was a season-crusher. If Allar doesn’t airmail that INT to Christian Gray, maybe we’ll talk about Penn State in the natty. Maybe Allar will go pro. Instead? He hit the brakes and stayed in school. And that’s where it gets real interesting. Because Pete Thamel just casually dropped a bomb on the ‘College GameDay Podcast’: “I will say that the NFL was very hot on Drew Allar, and even though he had decided to come back, there was still a thirst for him to potentially flip that decision after the playoff had happened.” And Thamel doubled down, “If they won that game and kept going in the playoff..I think he would have had a pretty tough decision to make.” That pick literally put James Franklin on the hot seat.

Thamel didn’t stop with Allar. He pivoted right into QB draft juice while spilling the tea about Shedeur Sanders potentially going to New Orleans. “And we could be talking about him as a top-15 pick. Like him, Shedeur… it seems like Shedeur’s kind of slotted nine now to the Saints. Like, we could be talking about him and Shedeur in the QB2 battle at this point.” Basically, had Allar just not thrown that pick, we might be talking about him going head-to-head with Shedeur Sanders for QB2 in this draft class. That’s right—New Orleans. The same squad that’s been tryna convince folks Derek Carr is still that guy. Spoiler alert: He’s not. His fresh shoulder injury? Just the cherry on top of a dry season sundae.

The Saints need juice, swag, somebody who can actually turn heads. And Shedeur? He checks all the boxes. Polarizing? Yup. Confident to the point of cocky? For sure. But he’s also accurate, productive, and battle-tested. That boy lifted not one but TWO programs from the mud. Say what you want, but he ain’t scared of the spotlight. Even Louis Riddick isn’t playing around, either. “That 9th pick gonna be all kinds of interesting,” he tweeted. Deion Sanders hit it with the ol’ 👀 emoji. Translation? Something’s brewing. And with the betting odds now favoring the Saints (+220), you best believe front offices are dialing up scenarios.

Shedeur Sanders to Saints at 9?

Look, Shedeur Sanders isn’t perfect by any means. He holds that pigskin for too long, sometimes plays hero ball, and doesn’t have that alien arm like Cam Ward. But let’s be real—Cam’s going No. 1, and the rest of these QBs are brawling for that QB2 spot. Shedeur’s right in that fight. And unlike a few of these dudes, he got receipts. He made Jackson State an HBCU powerhouse. Shedeur Sanders dropped bombs for Colorado under his pops with zero O-line help. He’s pretty accurate and led the nation with the most completions. Look, he’s got that dog in him. And most of all—he knows how to lead; after all, he learned from the best.

The Saints are stuck. They’re the NFL’s version of a five-dollar parlay that just keeps missing by one leg. Boring offense. Washed weapons. Salary cap hell. Derek Carr is decent… if it’s 2016. This team needs a face, not a placeholder. That’s why Kellen Moore is here—young, smart, and QB-minded. He ain’t walking in the Superdome to play safe. He needs a project he can turn into a problem. Shedeur might not be NFL-ready Day 1, but that’s fine. Let Carr eat a few hits while Shedeur cooks behind the scenes. And if you’re worried about opportunity cost—don’t. This ain’t a draft loaded with blue-chip freaks outside the top 3. You’re passing up a solid lineman or an okay DB to take a swing on Sanders? That’s a gamble Saints fans can live with.

So yeah, maybe Shedeur ain’t the next Mahomes. But with the right squad and the right system, he could be the next big thing. A QB with proper edge, swag, and that “I got this” energy. The Saints need that. The league needs that.  It’s not just talk anymore. The Shedeur-to-Saints noise is getting louder, and it’s got legs. Draft analysts, insiders, Vegas oddsmakers—they’re all feeling it. And let’s be honest, it makes sense. New Orleans is in desperate need of a quarterback not named Derek. It’s not just talk anymore. The Shedeur-to-Saints noise is getting louder, and it’s got legs. Draft analysts, insiders, Vegas oddsmakers—they’re all feeling it. And let’s be honest, it makes sense.

The Saints aren’t blind to it either. Kellen Moore’s arrival wasn’t about maintaining the status quo. It was about building a new identity, and that starts under center. Bottom line: the Saints need Shedeur as much as Shedeur needs a system that lets him be him. The fit’s there. The need’s there. All that’s left is to see who blinks first. The real question: Will the Saints punch in at 9 for Shedeur Sanders?